Anyone who starts exercising with a certain objective (such as losing weight or gaining muscle mass) in mind ends up encountering a reality: a certain routine provides us with certain benefits, and once we have obtained them, it loses its effectiveness, thereby that is produced some stagnation.
The question, as pointed out by professors at the University of Sydney (Australia) Mandy Hagstrom and Mitchell Gibbs in the middle The Conversationis that there are no scientific studies capable of giving a single answer to the question of when this will happen and, therefore, how often it is necessary to change exercise routine to achieve everyone’s goal.
Progressive Overload and Diminishing Returns
In the decrease in efficiency of a certain program, they say, two phenomena intervene: the progressive overload (that is, a need for stimuli to achieve continuous improvements) and the principle of diminishing returnswhereby the more experience one has with an activity, the less progress is made for a given stimulus.
To incorporate these notions in training is through the periodization: the periodic manipulation of certain parameters of the training program, such as exercise volume, intensity or frequency. Typically, periodization models maintain a constant selection for a designated period of time, typically between 8 and 12 weeks.
Although they exist different ways to periodize a training plan, the evidence indicates that the method does not matter; what is clear is that periodization offers better results than its absence.
Goal-Based Options
Be that as it may, an exercise program should be developed based on the goals we have. So, for example, research to date has shown that programs with variable exercise selections provide greater strength and muscle mass gains than fixed picks; at the same time, excessive rotation can have negative effects.
In the same way, other types of routines, such as those of runningoffer their greatest benefits between three and six monthsafter which it may be convenient to increase the demand if we want to continue to see progress and not simply maintain a state of fitness.
Still, the authors explain, even these maximizing approaches end up hitting a ceiling, beyond which it’s hard to progress further. Therefore, they recommend choosing a program that we like, with which it is more likely that let’s be constant (a vital aspect that is often the one that is least taken care of) and maintain it, with the anticipation of perhaps replacing it when it no longer provides us with what we are looking for.
References
Mandy Hagstrom, Mitchell Gibbs. How often should you change up your exercise routine. The Conversation (2023). Accessed online at https://theconversation.com/how-often-should-you-change-up-your-exercise-routine-194905 on 01/30/2023